Fiction: Preparing for Parenting (296 words)

02Jun

“I don’t think I can do this,” Thomas sighed, his face buried in his hands. “I am not at all prepared for this and I am going to fail miserably and ruin everything.” He moaned pathetically.

Leslie reached out and stroked the hair of her son gently, trying not to laugh out loud. Thomas had certainly inherited his father’s flair for the dramatic. “No one thinks they are ready for this, Tommy. If you thought you were properly prepared, I’d be worried for you.” Leslie said as reassuringly as possible.

“I am going to be a terrible father,” Thomas sighed desperately, “I’m going to be a terrible, terrible father. And I just want you to know that it’s not your fault, Mom. You did your best, I’m just a lost cause.”

Leslie waited for a moment longer, then tugged on the edge of Thomas’ hair. “Are you done now?”

Thomas sighed and slumped back into his chair. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Now, you are going to be an amazing father, mostly because you love your wife and I know you already love that pea sized ball of cells your wife is growing.” Leslie said sternly, walking around to look her son in the eye. “Now, of course you are going to make mistakes. Every parent makes mistakes. But I made mistakes and you turned out alright, didn’t you?”

Thomas let out a deep sigh, like it was a burden for him to admit. “I guess I did.”

“There you go,” Leslie patted her son on the knee, “Do we feel better now?”

“A little,” He sighed, “I mean, I’m pretty sure that I’m still going to ruin that child’s life, but a little better.”

Leslie sighed at her son’s dramatic. “Okay. I guess that’s good enough.”